1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to a system for pitching of baseball or softball and, more particularly to a system for enjoying virtual baseball or softball game by throwing a ball in a pitching room. A pitching system according to the present invention may be installed in a large store providing merchandise or service such as a shopping center or department store, or facilities such as a stadium, gymnasium, or batting practice center.
2. Description of the Related Arts
There are several kinds of systems for enjoying virtual ball game such as baseball or softball. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,731 to Hanabusa et al. discloses a device for catching a ball. The device comprises a flam member, a net member put on the flame member, a mat member disposed the net member having a strike zone, and detection means for detecting the position of the pitched ball collided with or passed through the strike zone. The detection means is, for example, a plurality of photo-sensors mounted in predetermined location of the strike zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,855 to Silin et al. discloses a baseball pitching analyzer having a housing in the form of a cube with a forward face including an opening through which the baseball may pass. Located within the housing is an open rectangular frame mounting a plurality of light emitters and associated light detectors, arranged to form an array or grid of intersecting light beams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,260 to Stewart et al. discloses a virtual reality baseball training and amusement apparatus, which includes a pair of detection planes, a computer, a video display and simulator monitor, and the like. The detection planes are spaced apart at a distance such that a ball batted through both detection planes would be a fair ball in a real ball. Each includes grid frame having a pair of optical scanners each of which is CCD camera, and a pair of light sources. Each scanner captures images of the ball to determine the coordinate of the ball by the angle and sends it to the computer. The computer calculates the trajectory and velocity of the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,151 to Lowy et al. discloses a baseball simulation system, which includes a computer, a pair of cameras, and the like, and which determines the trajectory of a thrown ball from a baseball throwing device. The cameras capture the images of the thrown ball and detect two-dimensional coordinates of the reference planes. The computer calculates three-dimensional coordinates based on the two-dimensional coordinates and determines the trajectory of the ball.